Notre Dame quarterback punched outside South Bend bar

November 24, 2009|By ERIC HANSEN Tribune Staff Writer

SOUTH BEND – Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen is expected to be in the starting lineup Saturday night at Stanford, with one black eye and the painful lesson of knowing what being in the wrong place at the wrong time feels like. According to a university source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, Clausen, some members of his family and some of his Notre Dame football teammates ended up at C.J.'s Pub hours after Notre Dame's 33-30 double-overtime loss to Connecticut on Saturday. The 22-year-old junior from Westlake Village left the restaurant/bar without incident initially, the source said. But Clausen's date forgot her purse inside. The two went back into get it about 2 a.m., and as they were leaving, Clausen's date was pushed by a man outside the bar. Words were exchanged between Clausen and the man, the source said. Clausen pushed the man away, with his hand landing in the man's neck area. The man then punched Clausen in the eye, and the two wrestled on the ground for a few seconds before the fight was broken up. Police were called to the scene, in part because of that incident, in part because of some other skirmishes going on at the establishment. No arrests were made and no police report was filed. Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis brushed aside the issue at his regularly schedule Tuesday press conference. "We're talking about Stanford," Weis said when asked about the incident. "You want to ask me about Stanford, I'm all ears. Clausen was not immediately available for comment. The source said they didn't expect the university's disciplinary arm, the office of Resident Life, to become involved. Clausen currently stands seventh in the nation in passing efficiency and fifth in passing yards per game heading into Notre Dame's regular-season finale at Stanford. His backup, fifth-year senior Evan Sharpley, made one cameo this season – against Washington State on Oct. 31 – and has not attempted a pass in a game in 2009.